The defense has been expectantly horrible, but the offense has been even more offensive. On Sunday in Carolina, the Raiders failed to score an offensive touchdown for the second straight week while the defense played well.
Carson Palmer was knocked out of the game with an apparent rib injury in the first quarter. Under some circumstances losing the starting quarterback is a good excuse for playing poorly, but it’s not just the quarterback that’s the problem in Oakland. The play-calling was so bad that Tim Brown started calling his own plays in the huddle. That’s obviously not right, but it was that bad.
Matt Leinart relieved Palmer in the first quarter and moved the offense, showed off his poor arm strength and threw an interception. Leinart did just enough to demonstrate that Terrelle Pryor should be getting an extended look and yet the Raiders continue to waste good opportunities.
Oakland’s coaching staff clearly doesn’t trust Pryor or think he is a capable quarterback, but they aren’t taking the opportunity to show the world. If Pryor never starts a game for the Raiders, the fans will always be left wondering. The Raiders have nothing to lose at this point and Leinart has no business playing in or starting any games.
Not only is Oakland’s quarterback position a mess now, but they can’t run the ball. The Raiders struggled running the ball early in the season, but had been improving until Sunday. Darren McFadden had 17 carries and just 33 yards rushing for a 1.9 yards-per-carry average.
That’s horrible production from the guy who is and was the Raiders’ best offensive weapon coming into the season. It’s easy to blame the struggles of the running game on scheme, play-calling, blocking or McFadden and the reality is that all of these are co...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
